Vaisakhi di lakh lakh vadhiyan !!

NEW DELHI, April 13 (Xinhua) -- India Monday celebrated the Sikh festival Baisakhi, the day that marks beginning of harvest crops.

The festival has religious significance as it was on a Baisakhi Day in 1699, that Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, laid the foundation of Panth Khalsa -- the Order of the Pure Ones, according to the Sikh religion.

Explaining the celebrations on the phone from north Indian city Chandigarh, a Sikh lady Kuldeep Kaur said "nagar keertan", or holy processions, and "vishaal deewan" , or mass congregations, were being held by Sikhs in all small and big towns and cities across the country.

People woke up early and bathed in holy rivers, before going toGurdwaras, the Sikh temples, where Gurbani Keertans or the holy prayers were recited by the ragis, or religious preachers. Kara prasad or sweetened semolina was then served to the congregation.

A Guru-Ka-Langar, or the free community lunch, was served to all devotees in gurdwaras after prayer services.

In several villages of north Indian state Punjab, which is home to majority of Sikh population, Baisakhi Fairs were also organized.

Recreational activities and wrestling bouts were also held. Folk dances, the Bhangra by men and gidda by women were performed in villages.

During the day, Sikh people would take out a procession that moves through the cities amidst the rendition of devotional songs by the participating men, women and children. Thousands of people would gather at Golden Temple at Amritsar in north India, and in Nanded gurdwara in South India, which are the holiest pilgrimage places of the Sikhs.

Baisakhi Festival falls on the first day of Vaisakh month (April-May) according to Sikh calendar Nanakshahi. According to English calendar, the date of Baisakhi corresponds to April 13 every year and April 14 once in every 36 years.